Fishing in
Eagle River
Fishing Report
Updated 12/30
Believe it or not, we are getting some good ice despite some warmer weather. There have been enough cold nights and days below freezing to keep what we have and to continue building ice. We’re hearing reports of 6-10”, depending on the lake and location. The chain, with it’s current, took a while to lock up this year but folks have been fishing along the shorelines and in bays of most every lake for the last few weeks and only in the last week or so have they begun to venture out to deeper waters there. Once there is easy access to all of the holes, then everything is game!
Panfish
Panfish season has also been good, with all species now being caught consistently. The crappie were mostly in the shallow weeds as the season started (and folks were fishing shallow) - but are starting to be seen in deeper water. If you’re fishing shallow, look along week edges in the 8-10’ range. If you’re going deeper, search for those pockets of fish at the deeper weed edges starting at the bottom and working upwards. Once you find where they’re hanging out it’s a good bet that you will find other schools of fish in different spots with similar structure, at the same depth. The perch have been in the shallower water on many lakes and are taking waxies and smaller minnows well. Bluegill fishing has been really hot, with late mornings and late afternoon being peak times for those fish. Look for these fish in the shallows at 3 to 8’, but on the deep, shallow lakes they tend to be a little deeper. Waxies and spikes are working great, but plastics are also a good choice. It’s a great time of the year to target these fish in the afternoon and then switch to walleye after dark. A few bluegill and a couple of walleye make for a fantastic family dinner!
Walleye
Walleye fishing has been really good, especially on the Chain. The fishing is being done in the 10 to 15' range in the evenings and after dark, with tip-ups set with either sucker minnows or shiners. It's been a good start to this season, and as we find more patterns, we'll be able to spread these tip-ups out a little. On the bigger lakes the start was pretty slow, as the ice was slower to develop. We were hearing about a lot of shallow fish, but that was just a matter of access.
Northern
Northerns have been very active, as usual caught pretty much everywhere in the weeds. The attraction of these fish, other than their aggressiveness, is that they hit all day long so you can get great action with these fish during the day, then hit the walleye in the evening. Large shiners work best for these fish, with tip-ups set in the weeds.
Looking back on 2024, it’s been an unusual year for weather. That has made counting on our typical patterns a little more challenging. Everything seems to have shifted, but it’s all still happening in it’s own time. We’ve seen a lot of success using the solunar calendar and moon-under and -over times throughout the year, so that’s always worth considering.
We wish you all a fantastic Holiday season!
Report courtesy of George Langley & Eagle Sports Center
